cooking with a pressure cooker

I recently bought a pressure cooker, basically with the idea of being able to make stock quickly (and because the thing was on special, I hate it when I fall for things like that /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif)

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The last time I used one must have been 30 years ago to make sauerkraut and potatoes (my mum always made that in the pressure cooker).

As a test recipe I made flank cooked in coconut milk (with onion, garlic, chili, ginger, soy, lemon juice etc). I cooked it for 30 minutes and it came out tender and moist. Even better than slow-cooked!

i just had to reduce the liquid afterwards as I used to much fluid.

I actually expected the coconut milk to break as I've been told that you should never cook it in a closed pot.

Why does it go OK in a pressure cooker?

And if I make stock, will it go cloudy because of the boiling (as you normally make it on a low simmer)?

Got a couple more questions;

In which case do you quicly release the pressure and when are you better of letting it cool down "naturally" or maybe even cool the whole pot down under cold water?

The pressure cooker I got can use a pressure of 12 psi and of 8. When would you choose which pressure? I assume the lower pressure is for more delicate food, but generally you would use 12? Or maybe you use 8 psi so you don't overcook stuff as easily as with 12?

I can still remember the whistle going off unexpectedly from the pressure cooker my mother used 40 years ago. It scared the hell out of me. I never bought one myself, but I'm considering getting one since energy prices have risen to unknown peaks in my country. I stopped making veal stock for that reason, it becomes insane to cook a small batch for home use.

Back in my youth we were served many dishes made in the pressure cooker. Mainly stews, but also things that had to cook only for a few minutes under pressure, like carrots. In that case the steam was released (including that horrible sound), I guess to stop the cooking quickly.

Anyway, you may enjoy this video recipe for veal stock in a pressure cooker. The recipe is also written out in dutch in case you may not be able to capture the video.

I've been thinking seriously about getting a pressure cooker ever since I had the Pork Thai Consomme with Poached Cod and Pulled Pork sandwich at a Vancouver restaurant. The chef, Dale McKay, uses a pressure cooker for both recipes.